Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Columbus is lucky to be home not only to one of the best children’s hospitals in the country, but one that is fully committed to providing a healing space that fosters joy and whimsy for its patients, staff and visitors. Their dedication to that mission extends to their holiday décor program, which is on display throughout the season at their main campus and several of their satellite facilities.
Holiday decorations at NCH showcase an inclusive “Winter Wonderland” theme that offers bursts of color and whimsey to offset our grey Columbus winter weather. A bright mix of colors – hot pink, dark blue, turquoise, orange, purple and bright green – reflect the colorful flora and fauna that appear in the environmental graphics on the hospital walls. The 248 trees in the main campus building are metallic silver and their shiny nature makes them sparkle as sunlight enters through the hospital windows. The “toppers” of the trees are composed of glittery picks that twist, twirl, bob and feather in an explosion of color and texture. Included in the mix are “Dr. Seuss” trees that are intentionally bent and curved, adding an extra element of playfulness.
The Nationwide Children’s butterfly branding is incorporated into ornaments and décor on the trees, creating a “scavenger hunt” effect for visitors and staff who delight in “finding” butterflies tucked into the holiday decorations. Including satellite buildings like the Big Lots Behavioral Health Pavilion, Data & Conference Center, research buildings and Ambulatory Center, Nationwide Children’s Hospital celebrates the season with almost 500 individual holiday trees!
The Ohio Statehouse
Starting the day after Thanksgiving, the “People’s House” is awash in the holiday spirit, with décor reflecting a Victorian-era aesthetic. The centerpiece is a 25’ tall tree in the atrium, decorated in burgundy, red and gold, with cardinals (Ohio’s state bird!) tucked throughout the décor. Two 15’ trees in matching décor stand guard in the Rotunda, and the staircases throughout are festooned with garlands featuring accents of ribbons, berries and candied fruit. It’s a classic holiday display that reflects the grand majesty and traditional beauty of this monumental building. Fun fact: the atrium tree is built on a giant, hollow frame and installers do much of the assembly from inside the tree!
Riverside Methodist Hospital
The largest facility in the Ohio Health system, Riverside positively sparkles during the holidays. The exterior landscape is covered in over 1,000 strands of white LED lights, illuminating the darkness and bringing a magical display to viewers both inside and outside the facility. The main display in the Silver Lobby features a snowy, forest tableaux with over 20 lit trees, woodland creatures and blankets of “snow.” Each area of the hospital also has its own holiday display, color-coordinated to match its location: red décor for the ER/Red Area, orange décor on garlands and trees in the Surgery/Orange Area, etc. Hanukkah and Kwanzaa displays in the Blue Lobby celebrate those holidays of light and gratitude. In all, over 50 trees, wreaths, arrangements, and displays fill the hospital with color and light. The best part? The displays are supported by donations made in honor or memory of loved ones or care givers from patients, families and community members as part of The Gratitude Tree program and celebration.
Your House
What about in your space? Here are some best practices from the pros for decorating a tree that “wows.”
- Light before you decorate and don’t only wrap the outside edge of the tree with lights. Start with the lights at the bottom of the tree near the trunk, and then take lights out to the end of branches and then back in again, working your way toward the top. The secret is to place the lights so they’re inside the tree as well as on the tree branches to create visual depth. (Pro tip: tucking/hanging ornaments further back into the tree branches does the same, and makes for a more interesting display.)
- Start your decorating at the top of the tree. Your eye is automatically going to start at the top of the tree and work its way down. At OGI, we use nontraditional toppers, using ‘picks’ — which are decorative sparkly sticks — or floral sprays, and use those to create a bouquet topper for the tree. If you have something like an angel or a star, you can still put that at the top, and then add picks around it to create extra visual drama.
- Do step back and look at the tree as you’re decorating it. Start with similar colors first (all the silver) and do those first. Or if you have a bunch of bells, do the bells first. Then you can space them out on the tree to make sure all the pieces are evenly dispersed.
- Use your favorite personal ornaments as part of a larger scheme. Use your favorite ornaments or your family heirloom ornaments, and add bulk commercial ornaments to tie the tree together. Whether it’s a color that you like or a shape that you like, using the same ornaments interspersed with your personal ornaments creates cohesion in the design.
- Think beyond the tree itself. Consider utilizing your chosen colors, patterns, ribbons and picks into décor throughout the house. Bringing the elements of the tree throughout the rest of the house will help create a complete design scheme throughout your decor.
Looking for additional inspiration? Check out the pizza-themed trees at Little Italy Ristorante in Groveport, the elegant displays at the Athletic Club of Columbus, or the sophisticated scarlet and grey trees at the Blackwell Inn on the OSU campus. Happy Holidays!
